Judd Deere

Deere was born in Benton, Arkansas, and graduated from Lyon College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history. Mr. Deere was previously married to Meagan Bullock. They graduated from Lyon College.

Deere began his career as a field director for the Republican Party of Arkansas during the 2010 election. He then became an aide to U.S. Senator John Boozman, as Correspondence and Systems Director. In June 2012, he was hired as Director of New Media for U.S. Senator Mike Crapo and was based in his Washington, D.C. office.{{Cite book|last=Senate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QE0plImfSD4C&q=Judd+Deere+boise&pg=PA77|title=United States Senate Telephone Directory 2013|date=2013-05-17|publisher=Government Printing Office|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=June 7, 2012|title=Crapo Announces Staff Changes in Washington, D.C. {{!}} U.S. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho|url=https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-announces-staff-changes-in-washington-dc|access-date=2020-02-07|website=www.crapo.senate.gov|language=en}}

In 2014, Deere worked for Tim Griffin's campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. In December 2014, he became the communications director for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, leaving in November 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://arkansasag.gov/media-center/news-releases/rutledge-statement-on-departure-of-communications-director-judd-deere-to-the-white-house/|title=Rutledge Statement on Departure of Communications Director Judd Deere to the White House | Arkansas Attorney General|website=arkansasag.gov|access-date=2019-05-09|archive-date=2019-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509220124/https://arkansasag.gov/media-center/news-releases/rutledge-statement-on-departure-of-communications-director-judd-deere-to-the-white-house/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/arkansas-ags-spokesman-leaving-for-white-house-job/|title=Arkansas AG's spokesman leaving for White House job|date=November 3, 2017|website=The Seattle Times|publisher=Associated Press}}{{Cite web|last=Henry|first=Larry|date=December 23, 2014|title=Judd Deere Named Communications Director For Incoming Attorney General|url=https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/judd-deere-named-communications-director-for-incoming-attorney-general/527-d4a78728-4d4e-40e4-89e4-ba6c94a19d54|website=KSFM}}

Deere left Arkansas in November 2017 to work in Washington, D.C. in the Donald Trump administration, as director of state and local communications in the White House.{{Cite web|url=https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-ags-spokesman-leaving-for-white-house-job|title=Arkansas AG's spokesman leaving for White House job|date=2017-11-03|website=KATV|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=2020-02-07}} In September 2018, he was promoted to Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs. In January 2019, he was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary.{{Cite web|url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-appointments-executive-office-president-3/|title=President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President|date=January 31, 2019|language=en-US|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=2020-02-07}}

On August 27, 2020, Deere, while acting as a spokesman for the Trump Administration White House sent a threat letter to The Washington Post newspaper demanding that they cease reporting on the business dealings of the Trump Organization, a private company. Deere also advised that the White House had assembled a "dossier" on Post reporter David Fahrenthold for criticism of the Administration. Fahrenthold has reported on Trump family's business interests for several years now, but perhaps his best-known article about the President was his 2016 scoop about Access Hollywood tapes, which showed the future President describing how he felt stardom gave him permission to assault women. Deere's threatening comments were included in a response to a request for comment on an article that shows the U.S. Secret Service has spent more than $900,000 at Trump properties during Trump's presidency.{{Cite web|date=2020-08-27|title=The White House Says It's Assembling a "Dossier" on a Washington Post Reporter {{!}} Washingtonian (DC)|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/08/27/the-white-house-says-its-assembling-a-dossier-on-a-washington-post-reporter/|access-date=2020-08-28|website=Washingtonian|language=en-US}}

Deere, who is openly gay, has defended Donald Trump and Mike Pence amid criticisms that the Trump Administration was anti-LGBTQ.{{Cite web|title=Trump's Spokesperson Is Gay — And He Doesn't Care If That Makes The Left Mad|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/dominicholden/trump-judd-deere-lgbtq-profile|access-date=2020-06-13|website=BuzzFeed News|date=July 2019 |language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Moran|first=Lee|date=2019-09-03|title=WH Spokesperson Argues Pence Isn't Anti-Gay In The Worst Possible Way|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-pence-anti-gay-defense_n_5d6e1a92e4b011080453f18a|access-date=2020-06-13|website=HuffPost|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2019-07-01|title=Trump's Gay Press Secretary Lies, Makes Excuses for His Boss|url=https://www.advocate.com/politics/2019/7/01/trumps-gay-press-secretary-lies-makes-excuses-his-boss|access-date=2020-06-13|website=www.advocate.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Gremore|first=Graham|date=2019-07-02|title=Trump's gay press secretary on promoting anti-LGBTQ policies: "It just doesn't matter to me"|url=https://www.queerty.com/trumps-gay-press-secretary-promoting-anti-lgbtq-policies-just-doesnt-matter-20190702|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Queerty}}

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Category:First Trump administration personnel

Category:People from Benton, Arkansas

Category:Arkansas Republicans

Category:1987 births

Category:Living people

Category:Lyon College alumni

Category:American gay politicians

Category:LGBTQ appointed officials in the United States

Category:LGBTQ people from Arkansas